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Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies, Volume 1, Issue 5, October 1985

Nelson Coal Company

page 6

Nelson Coal Company

At this time moves were in progress to establish the Nelson Coal Mining Company which would develop the seams located by Jenkins. At a meeting, on 21 Sepember 1858, a preliminary committee comprising N. Edwards (merchant), W. Wilkie (storekeeper), A. Kerr (banker), M. Lightbank (tanner), J. Hooper (brewer), E. Everett (publican), M. Campbell (miller) and J. Lewthwaite (publican) was established. M. Bury (engineer) was secretary. Bury and Edwards were later replaced by W. L. Wrey and G. Richardson and J. Corrie became secretary. The company was to have a capital of £ 10,000 in £ 1* shares and in return for a lease on the property, and for making land available for miners cottages and for the right of way for a tramway from the mine site to the main road at Bishopdale, Jenkins was to receive 500 fully paid up shares. A deposit of 2s 6d was to be paid on all other shares. However, by the middle of February 1859 only 2,978 shares had been allocated with £434 12s subscribed. The committee decided that the best way to test the property was to sink a shaft and commissioned reports from Marsden, Wrey (a mining engineer and a strong proponent of the Dun Mountain ores), and James Burnett (a mining engineer of Motupipi). As each man wrote a separate report the company ended up with three different recommendations. However they accepted that of Marsden who had become their manager. On 23 November 1858 excavation of a 7ft by 4.5ft shaft began and by mid February the following year it had reached a depth of 168ft. Because of the unstable ground conditions the shaft had to be timbered and two sawyers were employed on site. Two seams, of 4ft and 3ft were encountered but the shaft had now encountered tight gravel and there was considerable disagreement between Wrey, Marsden and Jenkins concerning the interpretation of what was revealed in the shaft. Wrey argued that the shaft was entirely in alluvium and Marsden correctly realised that coal would only occur above the gravel. Wrey also realised that the seams belonged to the same coalmeasures found earlier in the Brook Valley. However in contrast to almost vertical dip of the seam in the Brook the Enner Glynn seams had a more gentler dip and were in places almost horizontal. Marsden also had a summons issued regarding non-payment of wages, etc., by Jenkins who in turn produced accounts that showed that the former had received all monies due to him.

* Abbreviations used are: £ s d = pounds, shillings and pence; ft = feet.